Proposed two-story fourplex apartment buildings are out of character of the neighborhood at the northwest corner of Idaho Road and Roundup Street and should not be constructed, the Apache Junction Planning and Zoning Commission decided recently.
The commission voted 5-1 on Oct. 11 to recommend that the city council not approve a planned development major amendment of the high-density multiple-family residential by planned development zoned property at 94 W. Roundup St. for the development of three, two-story fourplex apartment buildings. Board member Dirk Begeman voted no.
“So the reason for the recommendation to deny is that we do not feel that this is the best use of the property with this being three, two-story apartments that [are] not consistent with the neighborhood involved,” Board member Richard Cantwell said in the motion to deny the case. “A better design can be achieved.”
Prior to the vote, board member Jesse Gage said the look of the proposed apartments is different than surrounding development.
“I’ve got a bit of a problem with this. You know, these new proposed buildings are being put down in the middle of an existing development and they, for me, architecturally they’re very different from the existing structures there and, you know, that’s a problem. However, on the other side of the coin, I don’t think I’m in a position to tell somebody what they can do with their own property as long as they are following the zoning ordinances of the city,” he said.
The property is surrounded to the west, north and south by the Apache Junction Townhomes housing subdivision, Planner Kelsey Schattnik said in a written staff report.
“Staff expressed concerns regarding privacy for the neighbors to the north of the proposed development. The surrounding townhomes are all single-story in height and the proposed development is two-stories in height with a usable balcony on the second floor. Staff has required the applicant to plant 36-inch box Chinese Pistache trees along the northern property line in order to provide privacy for both parties,” she said.
Neighborhood meeting notification letters were sent from the applicant to all property owners within a 300-foot radius, and on Oct. 28, 2021, a neighborhood meeting took place via Zoom.
“Prior to the adoption of the 2014 zoning maps, this property was zoned general rural and developed with a single manufactured home,” Schattnik said. “When the 2014 zoning maps were adopted, this property was inadvertently given a RM-2/PD zoning. The [planned development] zoning was to develop the Apache Junction Townhomes, which was a single-story, duplex townhouse concept. Due to the approved conceptual plan under Ordinance No. 1379, a major planned development amendment is required to develop two-story units on this site.”
The proposed 25-foot-tall apartments are to be constructed on a site that is 98-feet wide but will be in three separate parcels that could be owned in the future by three different individuals, she said in the written staff report.
“In this case, there would be no way to guarantee that all three parcels are maintained to the same standard, or that the owner of the western parcel would not block off the shared amenity space from the other two properties,” she said.
The applicant is Wilson Ejim of Ejim Design Group. The owner is Travis Heppe.
Each fourplex would have a footprint of approximately 35 feet by 131 feet and about 6,936 square feet under-roof, according to a written project narrative from Ejim Design Group.
“The buildings are carefully designed to blend in with the surrounding community. The following design choices are incorporated to make the building visually appealing: Tiled roofs that match the surrounding townhomes, no air-conditioners or satellite dishes on the roofs, earthtone color choices that match the neighboring townhomes, stucco exteriors, entrances [facing] the south and the north boundary will be lined up with trees to screen the apartments from the Apache Junction Townhomes’ backyard,” it states.
The primary duties of the planning and zoning commission include community contact regarding items including a zoning change request, to an application from a developer for a shopping center development or housing project. Also included are conditional use permits with the final decision being handled at the planning and zoning commission level, according to the city’s website.
Richard Dyer Managing Editor | East Valley @RHDyer
Meet Richard Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.
Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions.
Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.
Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.
Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.
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